Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Twenty one

A/N This past week was a very difficult one, I am sorry for the delay. Thank you to those who have shown your support with the last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one. Thank you.

Athamas walked with proud towards the golden gates that allowed him to cross to Olympus' grounds. The former General stepped inside the main court of a place he never imagined would ever cross by himself and without the permission of any God and he had to admit how much he enjoyed it. Up until now, his existence had been a mystery to everyone since the Silver Millennium's fall, nobody heard or seen him after the attack, completely forgetting that the once General ever existed and once served the Goddess of the Moon as Commander.

"What is your business in this place?"

Athamas did not even turn to look at the guards who knew where pointing their deadly spears at him "I'm here to speak to the... Gods." he mumbled with his eyes fixed on the Palace where he knew the Lord of Thunder resided and arranged all meetings along the other High Gods.

Since he was very young, he heard many stories about these holy grounds; he knew myths and legends both good and bad have walked inside that palace's walls and now, he was part of that history. His story did not start when he arrived, but since he miraculously managed to escape the Underworld in one piece.

As an Andromedian and one with more strength than the average soldier, he had the ability to cross realms. It looked like a dream, or more like a nightmare as his body began taking accountant of his sudden trips throughout the realm of darkness and felt a strong painful tug in his chest, making him flinch and go on his knees as if he was trying to prevent his body from exploding. His eyes felt the sting of opening them to the clear light when they have been accustomed for too long in the dark and shut them tight for a minute while trying to adjust to this new raging force and energy growing inside of him.

After being disqualified as Commander and exiled from his native land in Andromeda, he had no other option but to roam and hold a grudge to the memories that haunted his exhausted mind. He looked at his hands and frowned, knowing how he was once able to touch and feel the lunar princess that was now gone. That same woman that pushed his sanity to its maximum level and made him desire nothing more than to make her his. He lived in solitude, feeding his spirit with hatred, what ifs and tainted memories for so many years he had lost count. It was then when something in him, something he could not describe took over him completely.

Since he walked out alive from the Gates of Hell, he came out different, since he set foot at the Moon Palace, he felt different. There was a time when he felt things were simpler, when he did feel proud to be a strong soldier for the Andromedian army but having his family against it and his lover at that time against it due to the excessive amount of time spent in training and sacrifices needed to become an actual soldier was something he thought he deserved and it was that what started to nurture his deepest desires, an ambition not even he knew he had. Athamas felt he deserved to be better, he felt he deserved to become somebody other than just a pawn or servant. He wanted to be better and to achieve it he did whatever he had to do to become the highest rank a warrior could ever achieve in Andromeda despite stepping on others good intentions and ego to get ahead of the game. The moment he stepped foot into the Lunar Palace, he savored the results of his long, hard work and the minute he laid eyes on the Lunar Princess, his life changed, igniting raw desire and lust for her and unceasing need to keep her close and own her. He wanted it all, but his plans were always clouded by the famous myth of the demigod.

His green eyes slowly turned dark and finally turned his attention to the guard pointing his sharp spear at his face "Put it down." he warned the guard, the low calculating tone made the guard to obediently step back with a shocked look on his face, immediately sensing there was something odd about the man. Another guard came close, completely ignoring what just happened and mimicked his comrade's tactics "No simple being can order an audience with the High Gods—if your presence has not been required, you better turn around and leave before we annihilate you."

A heavy chuckle escaped Athamas with pleasure and raised his hand at the guards crowding him with their weapons, "I am no pawn, nor simple being—you pitiful creatures." he widened his eyes, exposing the deadly energy nesting inside them, it was a strange face, a very creepy face. His pupils were gone and all you could see in those eyes was pitch darkness full of eerie, dark magic. The guards started to panic the minute they realized they were unable to move their bodies no matter how much they tried to break free from whatever was pinning them down. They felt their flesh began to melt like wax, making them howl in horror and pain until they were left like shells of their bodies now standing like living corpses, "Open the gates," Athamas commanded with disinterest for the dead soldiers. Turning to his command they opened the doors with one of them guiding his way to the main court and up to the conference room to cast an audience with the gods.

The blonde general smiled as he walked down the long, pristine white and gold hallways and scoffed with bitterness, "Always so well lit. How ridicule."

O—o—O

Zeus exhaled with frustration and turned to face Poseidon, Ares, Hades and Apollo, who were gathered in an urgent audience to discuss the many strange events happening around Olympus' territory and its alliance with other realms in the universe. Ares had presented the extensive report of the many deaths happened over the years under unexplainable reasons, not even something Hades could put his finger on and determine the causes.

"I have taken every measure needed, in every realm in every river," The God of the Underworld muttered in his usual unexpressive low voice and turned his dark eyes to Ares who was still reading the reports in his hands. Hades sighed, he was growing extremely tired of the meeting that did not seem to end any time soon. He was not a God who enjoyed to be away for too long, considering that despite having many guardians and spirits around the underworld to protect it, he is still the one in charge and his presence is always required when a soul was to be judged and needed to be taken to one of the its valleys. He shook his head, showing his annoyance "This has lost our control, we need to take higher risks—higher measures." His beautiful grey eyes darkened, "You are causing panic among the other gods in Olympus, Ares." Hades' frown deepened "I had met with at least fifty beings at Titan's Castle in the past week asking me if somebody is going to die each day—leaving the Underworld for such pitiful excuses are not part of my jurisdiction."

"Gods and soldiers are dying every day, this is not a pitiful excuse to bring you here," Ares frowned at his older brother. Their relationship has always been competitive, they both had similar jurisdictions but Ares had the rank to do the dirty work Hades just did without any explanation with the flick of his hand, unlike the majority thought, Hades was not a God who liked to get his hands dirty and he tried to avoid step into massacres as much as he could. It was ironic how the beautiful and intimidating God of the Dead was a very graceful and elegant man and not a beast who enjoyed to massacre and torture spirits, that was the spirits and dark gods were for.

Ares' patience grew tired over the years since the fall of the Silver Millennium, his actions and decisions were now constantly questioned and argued by the other Gods and sometimes discarded as rubbish or unrealistic but the current situation was alarming, he was more than certain that something was coming and it was up to him to prevent it if his brothers and allies were not listening, for the sake of those he held dear, for the sake of his daughter.

"What you are suggesting is not viable," Hades' eyes narrowed "What you want is not viable! If you seek for my approval, from now on I tell you that you will not have it—not now, not ever."

"You are witness of how things are getting worse, Hades," Ares defied his brother "I must gather all soldiers to strengthen the barrier around Olympus and every kingdom in this Universe. This is something I can no longer achieve by myself."

"You are a Polemarchos, you should have the ability to do so," Hades scoffed at the Lord of War "This is your jurisdiction, but since you decided to train Gaia, your mind has been elsewhere but were it should."

"This is not the time to reminiscence," Zeus interrupted and looked down at the parchment in his hands with frustration. "We are under a crisis."

"I have put my strategy on your table for many years," Ares's voice was charged with annoyance. Hades turned to look at him still with his well-known cynical face "And it will continue to be ignored until you come up with a better plan—what you are suggesting is madness,"

"A better plan?" Ares raised his voice with disbelief, "A better plan?! This is our better plan Hades!"

"What you are suggesting is to bring a demon to aid us!" Hades raised his but with anger towards his brother. Apollo shook his head "Why do you defend such creature, Ares? You know this could be the fall of Olympus and you are charging this situation with more problems than solutions—allying with them is madness."

"I stand by Hades and Apollo point of view on this matter," Poseidon joined the discussion "We have been dealing with this for over a—" the lord of the sea was interrupted by the doors opening wide, allowing the Andromedian General walk casually into the room without any announcement or invitation, "Good evening, High Gods."

Ares' grey eyes widened when he saw the man "You." The defiant tone in his voice surprised the other gods "Who is this and why is he interrupting this meeting with such casualty?!" Zeus exclaimed with indignation. Hades frowned and looked around to call for the guards, Athamas noticed and chuckled "My, my—you will not be able to call anyone to your rescue, you see..." Athamas smirked and waved his hand, "They all went to sleep."

"Who are you?!" Zeus asked demanded an answer.

"My identity should not be a matter of discussion, I am me—sometimes I am somebody else." Athamas walked around the large room and turned to look at the gods and smirked again "Your biggest fear..."

Zeus drew his lighting sword and pointed it at the General without any hesitation, "I command you to explain this nonsense of yours, I demand to know who the hell you are! This is my Palace, my realm!"

"Your realm?" Athamas chuckled and clicked his tongue "Oh, times have not changed, you still live by that stupid ideology of yours," he arched his brow "But I am not here to give you any explanations you egotistical, voyeuristic God."

Zeus growled in anger and blasted a shot of energy at the man in front of him but his attack was blocked by an armor of dark magic, protecting Athamas "It is pointless."

Hades' frowned and extended his arm to summon for his weapon while looking at this man with careful detail and noticed something familiar in his presence, in the way he spoke and the way he moved. Ares noticed it too, confirming his deepest fears. Athamas turned to Ares and tilted his head in amusement "Oh, you are here!" he chuckled sarcastically, "I thought you were out there you know, scouting."

"What do you want?" Ares growled with anger. The question triggered Athamas' patience and frowned, all sarcasm and joking put aside "What it is rightfully mine,"

"It is not yours," Ares took a step forward, challenging the General "It was never yours. You went as far as betraying your own kind—you are nothing but a worn-out memory."

Athamas raised a brow and narrowed his eyes, "Do not speak of betrayals with such casualty, Ares, because you are not too far behind me," he smiled "I know where she is—I know where it is,"

"WHY IS NOBODY ATTACKING THIS INTRUDER!?" Poseidon exclaimed with anger as he drew out his trident and pointed it at Athamas, but just as Ares was containing himself from slaying the man before them, Hades did it too, now knowing the reasons to his hesitation. Without looking at the God of Sea, Hades' hand rested on his triden and pushed it down, "You cannot attack this man, not now."

"WHY NOT?!" Poseidon widened his eyes, Hades turned with a warning glare, "Because if you do, you will be killing us all. The creature before us is a ticking bomb,"

"Interesting choice of words, Lord of the Underworld." Athamas snickered, "But I am not here to chat and catch up with all of your pointless adventures. I knew this would eventually happen." tilting his head low, he stared at the five Gods staring back at him angry and impotent, "No matter what you do, no matter what you try—this is not a war to be won by you—feral Gods. You have had enough false glory—it is disgusting, it is enough." Athamas' eyes narrowed, "You have always had fear despite of what you did and that is what has been feeding me all this time." he quirked his brow again as he turned to leave "I see you have not done anything new to this place—how boring." he waved his hand dismissively, "You can now play with your toys, I will leave you to it."

Zeus growled and ran after the man, but before he could hit him he disappeared into thin air. The thunder attack from the God never reached its prey, dissolving in a matter of seconds before his eyes. Wide eyed, he noticed there were no guards to be seen around the palace and realized the truth behind the Andromedian's words "W-Where..." he mumbled, his mind was still jammed with anger.

Ares put his sword back into its sheath "He is gathering an army," he turned to the Lord of Thunder "And he will not stop until he gets what he wants."

"Who was this man?!" Apollo questioned indignant, Hades frowned and shook his head "It cannot be,"

"What?!" Poseidon asked, Ares turned to look at him "This is what I have been trying to warn you for many year," He turned to Hades "He has been behind this all since the very beginning."

"The seal is not broken—you saw it with your own eyes!" Hades lost his usual composure "Tartarus is sealed deep in the Underworld! It's guarded at all times! This cannot be!"

"The man you saw here was Athamas, a soldier from Andromeda who was later chosen by Queen Serenity to be in charge of the Lunarian Army as its Commander. He was once engaged to her daughter, Serenity, but was later discovered to be abusing of his position and power to feed his own ambitious plans." Ares took a deep breath and shook his head, "But the one speaking to us was somebody else—that was not the Andromedian,"

"What do you mean?!" Apollo asked perplexed, "Are you suggesting he was possessed?!"

"Exactly that Apollo—he is corrupted, he is being the host of something malicious," Ares nodded "I have confronted him in the past and there is no question about it. The Andromedian General I knew, did not have this kind of power."

"Are you saying this man survived the fall of the Lunar Kingdom?" Zeus asked confused. Ares nodded again "Somehow, he did and he escaped with his help I supposed, but now... this is becoming more dangerous, this is far worse than dark shadows covering the Sun. This time, he is the shadow of the Sun." Poseidon widened his eyes "By him—are you saying..."

"Yes, Poseidon." Ares nodded "The one who has been causing disturbances has been no other but him."

"That cannot be right," Hades shook his head "That creature was sealed!"

"I cannot explain how, but I have been keeping a close eye on the blue planet. The Senshi have fought evil forces for years now..." Ares turned to Zeus "I know you have read the reports, each and every one. This is not new to any of you—" he turned to Hades, "Your daughter has even been summoned to use her power..."

"But how do you know it is related to him?!" Hades raised his voice, his own frustration finally showing. Ares frowned "Because the same people are involved. Because, Hades, every evil being has been after the same thing—to take over the power that feeds the Universe. To take over the power of the Silver and now, the Golden Crystal. He has always been involved. He is always affected."

Zeus looked down, the tension in his face was exposed. His jaw was clenched and his fisted hands trembled with rage. The Lord of Thunder hung his head low and closed his eyes, "Ares, are you positive of what you are suggesting?"

Hades widened his eyes and turned to Zeus, "W-What?!"

Ares nodded "Yes Brother, we need him on our side—we need that power and you know it."

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Hades raised his voice "WE HAVE FOUGHT TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM THESE GROUNDS AND NOW YOU WANT HIM ON OUR SIDE?!"

Ares turned with his eyes showing fierce character and conviction "Right now, not even you can put a stop to this madness. It took all of us to contain him so he could put on a damn seal! A seal! We could not even kill the creature! We need that power, we need him and Chronos knew this all along. Now I understand why he wanted to protect them—he knew this was going to happen. Whether we like it or not, they are their own kind... and some, we cannot fight them."

"This would never had happened if that Crystal was back to where it belonged." Hades growled with rage, Ares shook his head "I know you threatened Geb in order to kill his own daughter, I know you wanted that stone for yourself—but it does not work that way, you know this!" he turned to Zeus and the rest "All of you, you want that stone but it is not yours to be owned!"

Hades narrowed his deep grey eyes "It has been you all along..." he muttered with disdain, "You are the one that has been protecting him since he was reborn by Serenity's power. You two have conspired against us... You have betrayed us." He walked towards his younger brother with both disgust and deception, "I expected it from Serenity—she was always a weak girl, too idealistic and too far away from her ancestor's beliefs but you... you, the God of War... this is disappointing."

"The Universe is being infected—there is nothing we can do now but..." Zeus closed his eyes, a clear sign of his own frustration "Do as you think it is the best for us." He opened his eyes and turned at Ares "Call for the Olympian Army and continue with the plan—summon all Polemarchos to be at your service and continue with the strategy."

"Zeus!" both Poseidon and Apollo exclaimed with disbelief while Hades just shook his head with disapproval.

"In order to do that, you know I have to summon for his presence as well, Zeus." Ares said despite the threatening look in Zeus' eyes. He felt pressed against his own walls of power, admitting and accepting Ares' tactics would jeopardize his authority and the safety of everyone and everything they built in Olympus but at this point there was more at stake to be lost and much to be won and for once, he had to comply even if it was against his own will and laws. "He is a blasphemy to this realm and forever will be considered an outcast, to me and to the rest of the Gods-he will never be accepted Ares and mark my words, if he ever crosses my path, I will not hesitate to put judgement on his soul and feed the beasts with it."

"He won't survive," Apollo said dryly "He is just a mortal—he is no Polemarchos."

Ares turned to Apollo, then at Zeus and Hades and narrowed his eyes "He comes from a lineage of Polemarchos, Apollo, you cannot deny his heritage. He has Helios' blood in his veins and he was trained as one, of course, he is a Polemarchos, whether you like it or not."

"Since the moment Serenity protected him, it was doom for us," Hades growled "You and your loyalty to a fallen Goddess. Where is she now to save you all, eh!?"

"Are you angry at us for keeping her memory alive or because you didn't have the pleasure of taking her soul to the underworld?" Ares frowned. Hades shook his head, "All that family deserves to rot in hell—their existence is a curse."

"If it was not for Helios, if it was not for The Great Twelve... Olympus would not be what it is now... open your eyes Brother, not even you have enough power to stop what is coming. You just proved to us that not even hell is strong enough to keep him inside." Ares looked at him with anger "Look at what is happening! ALL OF YOU!" He punched the marble desk with his fist "We could do nothing against the Andromedian! We need aid! Not even the High Gods can stop was has leaked from Tartarus," he turned to Hades and raised his brow "Are you afraid now, Hades? Is this enough for you to reconsider?"

Hades' eyes darkened "You will be sorry for this."

"Whatever happens to me after this war, I do not care. You can send me to the lowest of your rivers, throw my soul to whatever beast you like but it will never take off the fact that your anger lies in how there is somebody who can actually match our strength. My soul is yours Brother, you can do whatever you want with it but mark my words, all of you, war is coming, bigger than the one we faced two thousand years ago—this is a matter of life or death." his eyes darkened, "We need them, all of them."

O—o—o—o—O

Usagi smiled when finished doing Megumi's hair "I feel so proud of me right now," stepping aside, she let the girl look at herself in the tall mirror behind the bedroom door "You look so pretty!" she said happily. Megumi widened her eyes when she saw at her own reflection and blinked with surprise "Mater mea..." she breathed. She was wearing a ¾ sleeve soft green summer dress and a thin flower printed scarf around her delicate neck. Her chocolate brown hair was cut up to her shoulders and styled in beachy waves, framing her delicate round face. She had very minimal makeup on and her lips had only a hint of rosy gloss that matched the natural flush on her cheeks. It has been ages since she saw herself without her dirty clothes and long, distressed and tangled hair. Her eyes burned with tears that soon threatened to fall, "Megumi-san..." Usagi noticed the emotion in the girl's eyes and gave her a soft smile "You don't need to hide anymore—you are too pretty and strong to be hidden."

Megumi looked at the blonde and smiled "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you so much."

Usagi giggled and shook her head, the gesture made her feel flattered. Just to imagine her wandering through the universe with no destination, with no hope. Usagi stepped into Megumi's shoes and tried to understand the feeling of loss and confusion she must have felt all this time. What she did was only a small fraction for what she has done for the sake of the memory of her Prince and the Kingdom she considered her home. Seconds later the sound of keys caught their attention, making them widen their eyes with surprise. Usagi walked down the hallway to greet a very silent Mamoru who just walked by the door and was taking off his shoes; unaware that she was waiting for him, his blue eyes widened when he saw Usagi standing in the hallway with a big mischievous smile on her face. "Usako..." he greeted her softly and looked down at his watch and sighed softly noticing it was later than he said he would be back "I-I'm sorry about the time... I—"

"It's okay, Megumi-san told me you went to the hospital." Usagi smiled walked towards him to greet him with a soft kiss. Mamoru returned the smile, a more tired version of it and put his keys on its usual place and walked towards her and returned the kiss while thinking of a way to explain what happened to him at the hospital earlier that day. He took a deep breath and before he could say something, she interrupted him with soft giggles "What?" he blinked, not really sure of what was happening.

"I have surprise," she said playfully, startling him. "A surprise?" he frowned and turned to the kitchen to grab a glass of water "Megumi?" he asked and turned to look at her "Is she asleep?"

Usagi chuckled and shook her head "Nope." she walked back to the hallway and came back, this time bringing Megumi with her. "Ta-dah!" Usagi exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air to emphasize the element of surprise. Mamoru widened his eyes at the image of the girl totally transformed "Megumi..." he said shocked and walked over to them to look at her more closely. He leaned down and smiled at her and tucked a wavy strand of hair behind her ear, "You look very pretty Megumi."

Megumi blushed and looked down shyly, this was the first time somebody ever told her she was pretty. Since her days as a maid, she got many compliments but none of them were ever referred to her beauty, she never considered herself beautiful because her idea of beauty was different. She remembered always looking at the women from the court and admired how they all looked flawless in their long gowns, wearing their tiaras and expensive jewelry. She thought class was made women beautiful, that was her perception of beauty until she met the Lunar Princess. She remembered the first time she met her and how she was instantly mesmerized by the delicacy of her looks and the elegance she radiated. Her beauty could not be compared to the one from court ladies, nor her presence or class, she did not need much to look perfect and she did not remember ever seeing her wearing tiaras or tons of jewelry or an excessive amount of makeup or perfume. Since the moment she met her, her standards of beauty changed, and inspired her to follow her steps and now, she felt closer to her goal and it was thanks to that same Princess.

"I brought her some clothes from the magazine that were going to be discarded... when I saw the model wearing this dress I immediately thought of Megumi-san—it's perfect for her," Usagi brought her hands together, excited by the result of her hard work "I brought her some other stuff for her too wear. Personal use items, a small bottle of perfume and some makeup if she feels like playing around with it."

Mamoru's smile widened, he felt moved by his fiancé's actions and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him "Thank you, Usako." he whispered in her ear and breathed in her scent. Usagi noticed the exhaustion in Mamoru's warm voice and frowned slightly; since he walked through the door there was something odd in his behavior, he was being so uncharacteristically silent. He would normally greet her with a joke or a sarcastic comment but this time he looked absent—worried.

Megumi's blush lowered down and looked up at the royal couple "This is very different from what I am used to wear." Usagi chuckled and tilted her head, "Now all we have to do is to find you a proper dress for the wedding."

Megumi blinked, surprised "W-Wedding?"

The blonde smiled and nodded "Yes," she turned to Mamoru and then back at her with the same, enchanting smile "We are getting married."

Megumi's eyes widened and looked at the couple in front of her with tears framing her big brown eyes. After all the time she remembered them hiding their romance to the world, fighting against everyone in their worlds, the tragedies that took place at the Lunar and Terran Palace with Beryl's invasion and attack. After everything that happened, they were alive in this present era and about to marry and she could not be happier. She exhaled and brought her hands close to her chest "**Gratias ago tibi in caelum," she whispered.

Usagi smiled and took Megumi's hands "I am so happy Mamo-chan is going a member of his family with him on that special day."

Megumi smiled and felt too emotional to say something, it was great, the feeling of being part of such an important event was great, to be by the Prince's side on his wedding day with the Princess was great. She looked at the Prince behind the Princess in silence and noticed a sudden change from how he was earlier that day making her wonder what must have happened to him. His eyes, although very intense in color had something missing, everything she knew of him was somehow missing—hidden. The body was there, his handsomeness was there, the warm, deep voice, the character was there, the essence was there but sometimes it was like she interacted with somebody completely different.

In his own helplessness, Mamoru showed the same smile again and nodded, trying to focus his mind in the moment "I am happy too." He felt like losing control over the situation and his efforts to keep up with the conversation were slowly crumbling. After the premonitions and the dreams happened, every time the wedding was brought up he felt guilty for being witness of something that somehow pulled him away from their dream of living together in peace. He felt helpless and frustrated for not being able to act against whoever is threatening the planet he is supposed to protect and the more time it passed and the more event happened, the more his anger curled inside him, clinging like a rusty claw to his chest. He cursed himself for putting such burden to his bride at times like these, he cursed his inability to wipe all malice away. He cursed how vaguely he was reminded that though he was the rightful crowned royal to this planet he could only depend on the crystal his lover had with her. It was not a matter of gender, it was a matter of him being the one supposed to protect her and not always the other way around. Sure, he was told of the power he held, he was a witness of his own power but it still not matched the one Usagi had. It did not make any sense to him, he was with her because he loved her, he adored her there was no question about it but sometimes, in times like these, he felt more like her shadow rather than her companion and it killed him. His thoughts pulled him back into the events that happened at the hospital that morning and the suffering man but even whoever was possessing the man was aware of his weakness and mocked his inability to save his or any other soul.

Usagi frowned when she realized Mamoru was not paying any attention to what she was saying and stepped back with concern, "Mamo-chan?" she touched his arm softly and brought him back to reality. Mamoru blinked several times realizing he spaced out for too long for her to notice and turned to look at her, still very confused. "Y-Yes?"

"Are you listening? Are you okay?"

Mamoru sighed softly and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Y-Yes, the wedding... a dress for Megumi." The ghost of a smile graced his handsome face again but this time the blonde noticed there was something else, something that was taking him much effort to keep concealed and under control. "Mamo-chan..." Usagi mumbled while she watched him turn on his heel and walk back to the kitchen and pour himself another glass of water. Mentally hoping the fresh liquid could wash away this dark sentiment he was harvesting inside his chest. Usagi turned to Megumi and smiled softly "Could you give me a moment alone with him, Megumi-san?"

Megumi nodded in understanding, also being aware that there was something wrong with the Prince. It was funny o think there were two different women from two different periods of his life knowing him too well to decipher every single gesture he made. The young lady turned and walked back to her room in silence but leaned against the door to try to find the reason of what happened to him and see if she was able to help in some sort.

Usagi walked to the kitchen and leaned on the counter with her arms crossed, looking at him in silence "Mamo-chan?"

Mamoru stayed silent for a moment, still with his back towards her "Yes?" he turned, after a minute. Usagi frowned with concern, "Are you okay?"

Mamoru took a deep breath and exhaled "A patient died while on my watch. I'm sorry... I—my mind is elsewhere."

Usagi widened her eyes. In all their years together facing the most horrifict threats and adventures, she knew hos much affected him to be witness of the loss of someone under his watch. That was the main reason why he became a doctor, after all, to help people in need. "Oh my god, M-Mamo-chan... I'm so sorry..." she pushed herself away from the counter to walk over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist "I'm sorry..." she mumbled with her face crashing on his chest "I know this must be very hard for you..."

Mamoru wrapped his arms around her and thought if this would be the right time to tell her what really happened and the reasons behind this man's death. With the wedding coming in just in a few days, he wanted to save as much stress as possible from her, deciding it was best if he took the punches instead of her but if this was the way for the enemy to attack, she would eventually find out in a much worse way, or it could put her life in danger. There was nowhere else to go, this was it and he had to come clean. He had to talk to her and try to do as much as possible to keep her calm because, it was not going to be easy. Sighing heavily, he held her hand and closed his eyes for a moment before continuing, "There is something I must tell you, Usa..."

Usagi blinked and looked up to him, this strange attitude of his was starting to make her feel impatient and much more concerned, "What is it?"

"I need to tell you, what really happened."

Usagi frowned and shook her head, she felt his arms tighten the minute she questioned him, "W-What do you mean?" Mamoru opened his eyes and looked down at her with the most apologetic look she has seen and released his mortification with a sigh, "The patient that died... didn't die of natural causes."

Usagi tilted her head up "What do you mean?"

"He was possessed, Usako." Mamoru finally dared to say "In medical terms, it happened a lot of things that caused his body to give up—I don't want to give you much detail of what happened to him, but, it wasn't normal." Usagi stayed silent and tightened her grip on Mamoru's t-shirt. Her breathing starting to become heavier and shorter "No..." she breathed with panic.

"Usa..."

"No!" Usagi exclaimed and pulled away from Mamoru "NO!" she looked at him with teary eyes and pointed an accusing finger at him, "No, you can't do this! You can't do this!"

Mamoru widened his blue eyes half surprised, half hurt by her reaction and immediate judgement "What?"

"You can't do this to me!" Usagi looked away but she felt her anger and frustration growing inside her by the minute "Tell me this is a lie, tell me you didn't—tell me nothing you just said is true."

"Usa—please, this isn't easy for me either, it's not something I planned..." Mamoru ran a hand through his midnight hair and pursed his lips, regretting every word he just said, not sure why since it was the truth. It wasn't something he planned and it wasn't easy for him to give her these kinds of news. Usagi leaned on the counter and started to cry, each heavy sob carving into Mamoru's heart. "Why now?" he heard her whisper. Defeated and heartbroken, Mamoru sat on the kitchen floor and shook his head, "I don't know Usa, I really wish I could give you more than this... I wish... I could give you a better answer but—I'm at loss."

Usagi looked at him sitting helplessly on the kitchen floor and felt guilty for her poor choice of words and reaction. His face was marked with concern and just like her he too was frustrated; the only difference between them was that he was not as expressive as her, unlike her, Mamoru tend to keep everything to himself and figure out a solution before it gets out of control but this time, it was out of his control and it was more than obvious that it was torturing him. She slowly slid down and sat next to him on the floor, looked for his hand to hold and closed her eyes. "We have waited so much for this... we have fought endlessly for this,"

Mamoru looked up and shook his head "The sky can fall for all I care, it won't keep me away from you—call me crazy, call me stupid... I am just too crazy about you, I cannot see my life without you Tsukino Usagi. I cannot let you go."

Usagi opened her eyes and batted the trapped tears between her long, dark lashes. "Mamo-chan... but..."

"I am as frustrated and angry as you are Usa—believe me, I am." Mamoru stayed silent for another minute and shook his head before continuing, "I considered not telling you anything about what happened today but the truth is, you have every right to know, you are a Sailor Senshi—and not just that, you are a warrior Princess," he looked at her proudly "You have every right to know and this won't stop our plans to be together—this won't tear us apart. We have come such a long way Usa... I won't let this step in between us."

Usagi looked down at their holding hands and bit her lower lip "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I said..."

"About?" Mamoru raised a brow; Usagi sighed "You, doing this to me."

"I feel terrible to be the one to bring these news to you," Mamoru leaned his head back on the kitchen cabinet with a regretful tongue-click, "The fact of being in the dark with this situation is what it is the most frustrating. We know nothing about what's going on."

Usagi nodded, the same feeling of anger and exhaustion when she met Megumi at Haruka's house slowly started to invade her but when she then turned to look at her boyfriend and he looked even worse. His eyes were closed but his body language was one of a person who had guilt and remorse. Mamoru didn't say much and tried to be as calm as the situation required when Megumi was brought to his apartment but deep down, she knew he was mortified because he did not know what to do to this point.

Megumi listened to what Mamoru told Usagi of the events that happened at the hospital and began to cry and curled into a ball on the floor. She was the sole reason why this enemy had appeared on earth, it was because of her that they were dealing with this invisible enemy, no matter how much she loved the Prince, she had brought danger into his life without him knowing why or how to fight it back. They were looking for her, the General was hunting her down through shadows and spirits possessing innocent people and if she didn't do anything, things would eventually turn worse; if running was the only way to keep them safe, then it was time to run away again. She turned to her side she looked at the clothed object and frowned while thinking it had not made or given any signal that it is at the right place. She has seen it work before, she was seen the shine that comes out like a sun rays and the intense burnign energy; she has been witness of its power and yet, even when she is where she is supposed to be, nothing has happened. With a heavy heart she hung her head low and began sobbing again "You are not the rightful owner..." she leaned her head back and shook her head with pain in her hear, "And so I must go. Parce mihi, Princeps..."

O—o—o—o—O

Michiru put her tea cup over the coffee table and sighed while looking out the window in silence. Since Minako and Usagi took Megumi to Mamoru's apartment she wondered about her safety, their duties as Senshi and the future.

Haruka entered the living room with a beer in her hand and sighed "You are at it again," she sat on the couch across from her and took a sip of her cold beverage. Michiru frowned and turned to look at her "I just wonder how things are going with them and the girl..." she said softly "We haven't heard anything."

"Have you called them?"

Michiru sighed and shook her head "I wanted to give them some space. Not every day a person from your past comes knocking on your door with hundreds of questions behind," she turned to look out the window again and leaned back on the couch "But it still worries me, I am worried about Usagi-chan."

"I am worried about both," Haruka put her cold beer on a coaster and leaned back, crossing her arms in front of her chest "I agree this is all unexpected. I agree they need time but there is an enemy hunting this girl and we cannot just, disappear."

"We haven't heard anything," Michiru said softly "Not even the Talisman can explain what we witnessed that night."

"Hotaru has been sensing something, what's strange is that Mamoru hasn't and he is the one that should be feeling this the most," Haruka frowned "When he told me he didn't remember anything—not even the girl, I found it very strange because all of us do remember our past lives."

"Are you suggesting something?" Michiru frowned and looked at her companion "Don't you find it strange?" Haruka asked again, "You could see genuine confusion in his face."

"We both agree that he can monitor the status of this planet and that he has special powers none of us have, right?"

"Yes, but—I felt like something is not right." Haruka brought a hand to her chin in thought "And the girl doesn't bring any answers to the table." she sighed tiredly, "I spoke to Setsuna about this but she doesn't give me straight answer either."

"Because it is not my place to do so," Setsuna joined them in the living room, startling both women, Michiru chuckled "You are always as silent as a ghost."

Setsuna smiled and sat next to Haruka, "I agree to one thing; the Prince does not remember anything other than what he was revealed by the Silver Crystal when Beryl was hunting them down. It makes sense, the Crystal reacts to the Princess' powers, not his."

"But, didn't the stone protected by his people was discovered and released its true power?" Haruka shrugged her shoulders, showing genuine confusion, just like she described Mamoru. "The stone cannot be awakened," It was Hotaru's turn to startle all three women. "It's becoming a tradition in this house to show up like spirits..." Haruka joked, never losing her sarcastic charm; that is what made her unique—Michiru thought. "What do you mean?" she frowned confused. "We were there... the Priest—"

"They even took their oath as King and Queen," Haruka said, joining Michiru's confusion. Hotaru and Setsuna shook their heads, "That was not an official coronation ceremony. That was the Priest doing his job—he released some power from the Crystal and helped Sailor Moon and the Prince overcome and defeat Nehellenia's curse."

"Wait, did you say some power?" Haruka frowned.

Hotaru nodded and sat on the floor in front of Haruka and Setsuna, and next to Michiru "When our Princess awakened as Sailor Moon, the power she used to fight evil came from the Silver Crystal but it was only a fraction of it. The same happens with every sacred Crystal and the one protected by the Terran people is no exception. But it runs a lot of mystery around it, I don't know much about it and what it is capable of doing."

"Who has the Crystal now?" Haruka asked, Setsuna cleared her throat "I would dare to say the Holy Priest took it with him that day."

"And?" Haruka raised a brow, "This doesn't make any sense, what does this has to do with the Prince not remembering—Oh." she stopped arguing and widened her eyes with realization, "I see."

"The power the Prince has shown over the course of his life as soldier is just a small fraction of the power coming from that Crystal. The mystery sets now on the question, why?" Setsuna stood up and started to roam around the living room "There are too many questions left in the air during the Silver Millenium, Father did not say much. He was never a man of too many words but he did say that the Crystal guarded by the people of Earth matched and even surpassed the power of the Silver Crystal if completely mastered. If it ever falls in the wrong hands, this planet and the whole universe could burn to its demise."

"Burn?" Haruka arched a brow. "But—how?" Michiru frowned, "I too remember those stories but they were only that—stories,"

"We are the only ones who remember our lives from our past in its entirety. Time did not stop for us because we never died in that battle. I was not reborn, like you did—I was not summoned to serve like you did, I had to stay at the Gates." Setsuna turned to Hotaru "Saturn is the only exception but even she has her memories as the Goddess of Silence."

Michiru sighed "What comes next then?"

"Should we give them more time?" Haruka asked, Hotaru shook her head "I don't think there is enough time. Something is approaching us, darkness holds evils spirits that are lurking in every corner. I've seen them."

"The same ones we saw when the girl was attacked." Haruka said softly, Setsuna nodded "I have heard some strange cases at the clinic—people mysteriously dying for no apparent reason."

"This is a silent enemy," Haruka frowned, turned to Michiru who held her mirror up high "A very silent one."

"We have to be careful, it is a strong enemy in disguise." Hotaru said softly, all three women looked at her "What do you mean Hotaru?" Michiru asked, "What do you mean by a strong enemy in disguise?"

"I can hear its words... whispering, very late at night," Hotaru said, her amethyst eyes turned darker "He is watching."

"How can we fight this enemy then?" Haruka frowned, Hotaru narrowed her deep purple eyes, "Until it appears. There is nothing else we can do."

O—o—o—o—O

"Alright, here is the cake," Makoto put the cake in ceramic plate over the kitchen counter at her apartment. Rei and Minako looked at it and smiled, "Smells incredible, I am literally drooling," Minako said with excitement, "It's sooo pretty."

Makoto smiled "I know right? But this is only a test to see the flavor and how I should decorate it." she grabbed three small square plates and three silver forks and handed them to her friends "Let's dig in—I need your opinion,"

"Wait," Rei stopped Makoto from cutting the cake "Shouldn't we call Usagi to come over? It's her cake after all." she frowned and turned to Minako, "Have you spoken to her lately?"

"Not much, but she did tell me today that she gave Megumi-san a makeover," the blonde smiled, Rei leaned her arms on the counter and pursed her lips "Poor girl."

"What?" Makoto asked. Rei sighed softly "Her fate has been different from any of us, I am glad you could take her to the person she was looking for."

Makoto chuckled "For a moment I thought you said poor girl as a result of her makeover."

Rei chuckled, "Well... that too."

"But yet, nothing has happened," Makoto said softly returning to the main topic that has been in their mouths for weeks now. Minako slapped Makoto's arm softly and shook her head, "Shut your mouth, do we really want anything to happen? And with the wedding just a few days away?"

Rei looked at her friends joking and talking in silence, Minako's comment fell deep into her mind. Nothing has happened—she thought, repeating the blonde's words. 'It is already happening..." she thought again and looked down at her plate. Every day she reads the sacred fire a new vision comes to mind, one of a man and one of a demon. Shadows, war, and fire—golden fire. She has been staying up late trying to put the pieces together but it is still too confusing and the man calling for his daughter makes it even worse.

"Rei-chan?" Minako reached for her arm, startling the brunette "Y-Yes?"

"Everything alright?" Makoto asked. Rei smiled "Yes—I was just thinking about Usagi,"

"Let's call her," Makoto looked for her phone in her apron. "She probably is with Mamoru, it's Saturday night." Minako said softly, "I hope this whole thing of Megumi-san staying with Mamoru-kun doesn't get too much under her skin."

Rei leaned and scooped a piece of chocolate cake with her fork, startling Makoto "Hey!" Rei chuckled and took the first bite. Makoto sighed and shook her head "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know... with the wedding coming up, she has been very emotional. Remember when she first met Megumi-san?"

"Well, can you blame her?" Makoto followed Rei's technique and put the plates aside "It's like if destiny is playing a joke on her."

A soft knock startled the girls, Makoto turned and walked to open the door while Minako grabbed a fork and smirked playfully at Rei "Let's see if it tastes the same way it looks..." Makoto opened the door revealing Ami on the other side "Ami-chan!" the brunette greeted her with a smile, Ami waved her hands apologetically "I'm sorry I'm late... you know..."

"Who is it?" Minako exclaimed with her mouth full of chocolate cake, Ami soon walked into the kitchen but soon her smile faded and widened her eyes "What—"

Minako blushed while Rei burst into laughter, Makoto laughed and handed Minako a napkin, "Really!?" she turned to Ami and grabbed the bottle of wine "I made a smaller version for what will be the cake for Usagi-chan's wedding and I asked them to give me their most honest opinion—I guess its approved."

"Ooooh, this is how the cake will look?" Ami looked at the un-eaten part of the cake and smiled "It's very pretty, you did a great job..." she laughed at Minako, "Is it good?" Minako nodded and swallowed the bite she had in her mouth "Really good."

"Yeah, no kidding," Rei said with slight sarcasm and turned to Ami "Hey, I thought you weren't coming..." she turned to move her purse out of the way to give the bluenette the seat next to her at the kitchen counter "I was stuck at the hospital..." Ami said in a monotone voice, startling the girls. "Everything okay?" The priestess asked. Ami sighed and pursed her lips in thought for a minute then turned to Makoto "I think we will have to open that bottle of wine."

"That bad?" Minako took another piece of cake with her fork, Ami sighed again and bit her lower lip before continuing "Something happened... and I think it is better if you know this."

After being told the events at the hospital, all three women looked at Ami with a serious face, Rei being the first one to break the heavy silence, "Is Usagi okay?" the blonde and brunette looked at her with concern "W-What?"

"I don't know if she is right now but Mamoru-kun was going to talk to her." Ami sighed softly.

"What happened Ami?" Minako put her fork aside and cleaned her hands with a napkin. Ami looked at her glass of chardonnay and pursed her lips, "I heard about a patient being taken to the E.R. with several, strange symptoms," the silence between then gave Ami the cue to continue, "The patient died."

"Uh, I am not following this story..." Minako frowned.

"That is all I heard but then I ran into this guy—you know and well, he told me Mamoru was at the hospital and that he assisted the case."

"I want to know about what happened to this guy but something tells me this story has a darker turn," Minako muttered, Ami nodded "After a while I found him. I was still with the news that a patient had died under Mamoru's care; he was so pale, it was worrisome. Once we were alone he explained to me what happened—in a nutshell, this man collapsed inside out. He had a lot of medical conditions that were not normal for a human being to have all at once but the strangest part is that Mamoru said this man was talking in another language and smiled at him before he died."

"What?" Makoto shook her head and rubbed her neck trying to get rid of the eerie feeling giving her goosebumps all over "What?!"

"And it wasn't a normal cause of death you say?" Minako frowned, Ami shook her head "No, Mamoru explained to me all the medical conditions this man had—he said it was like if his body collapsed."

"Oh my god..." Minako covered her mouth "Oh my god, Usagi-chan..."

Rei stayed silent, what Ami described as 'strange words in another language' was something she has heard before while doing her readings in front of the sacred fire. "It's trying to break its way to this world—whatever it is..."

"What?" Ami frowned "Are you saying this..."

"I have heard those words before, the enemy is trying to cross to this world. One way or another." Rei muttered, then frowned "And is he going to tell Usagi?"

Ami nodded, "Considering how upset she got she was the last to know what was going on when Megumi-san appeared, he thinks it's the best if he talks to her about this,"

"This will break her," Makoto sighed and closed her eyes "Why, why does it has to be happening all this so close to their wedding day?"

"We have to do anything in our power to restrain this bastard from crossing over," Minako said dryly. Rei nodded with determination, "I will do another barrier tonight, I will pray to the sacred fire and ask for advice from Phobos and Deimos." she frowned in thought, Minako noticed and looked at her and arched a brow "What?"

"Nothing—well, the strangest thing happened the other day at the shrine..." Makoto frowned with curiosity at Rei's words, "Yuuichiro decided to leave the shrine?" The comment made Rei huff "Yeah right, that would be a miracle..."

"Why don't you kick him already?" Ami said between chews, startling the girls, Minako laughed "Wait, are you Ami?"

Ami blushed "I'm sorry but I think Rei-chan should just..." she waved her hand and frowned at her lack of words to describe the feeling "...Ask him to leave, he needs to move on."

"There we go," Minako chuckled, patting her blue haired friend's shoulder, "That's more like you to say," she turned to Rei and arched her brow, "But she's right, you know." Rei sighed and bit her lip "I know, I know. But, besides the fact that my grandfather will resent it, is because he helps at the shrine. I would not be able to handle everything by myself and it is very hard to find somebody who would be interested in be a Miko's assistant these days."

"Ahhh, I see what you're doing..." Makoto swallowed her cake bite and pointed at her with her fork "It is convenient for you to keep him there, even if it affects you personally."

Rei sighed, "I know, but it's not like I am looking to have a romance with somebody," she frowned "I'm passed it."

Minako shook her head but preferred to remain silent when concerning the matter. Though she was a believer of love, even when she hadn't had the best of experiences when it came to it, she never lost hope. Maybe because of her background as a descendant of the Goddess of Love, maybe because she really loved to be in love, maybe because she just wanted to believe in something. Unlike her friend, she was going to continue on her search if not for Mr. Right, at least for a man she could share her joys and falls. A companion. A man that could love her the same way she would love him.

It was no news to the girls, when it came to Rei's decision to be away from all the sentiment. They were actually surprised she lasted that long with the man, and that at one point she showed the love she had for him. Being the mostly inexpressive from the group, it was rare to see her giggly and bubbly when around him. All that went to 'normal' when he decided to chose the path he chose, breaking her heart in the process. After that, she shut herself in her own cage and focused on her duties as Miko, not wanting to turn back ever since.

"Was that the strange thing you were going to tell us?" Minako decided to break the silence that fell upon them. Rei sighed softly and shook her head "No, it was something else. The other day, I was doing some blessings and cleaning the Shrine's porch when I spotted a man close to the praying bell. He looked so somber and the strange part is that he was not even praying it was as if he was contemplating the possibility of pray to someone."

"Aren't a lot of those these days?" Makoto frowned.

Rei looked at her friend and gave her a sad smile, it was true. It was as if society these days have lost most of its faith and decided to concentrate on other things. That being the reason of all tragedy that she has witnessed in the news and the paper lately. Shaking her head, she looked down at her glass of wine "Well yes, but, there was something about this man that really caught my attention, it made me feel nostalgic," she widened her eyes and looked at the girls, "Not that I am saying I felt attracted to him or anything but," she trailed off and frowned, again her gaze was locked in her beverage again "I sensed a very strong aura from him and the way he spoke, it was as if he was longing for something, or someone."

Minako tilted her head "And what happened?"

Rei shrugged her shoulders "Nothing much, we exchanged some words. But, I felt this need to—I don't know, I felt helpless," she looked at the girls, and lowered her gaze "Like if we both were longing for the same thing..."

O—o—o—o—O

The next couple of days went by with no incidents to consider a threat. Neither of the girls or Mamoru sensed nothing out of the usual. After their serious and defeated conversation, Mamoru drove Usagi home and tried to ignore the whole incident for their sake but both were unaware that Megumi was resenting their silence.

Looking out through her window, Megumi took a deep breath and come more to realize that she had to continue with the task she was given by the God of War. She was heartbroken and disappointed by the fact that the man with all the characteristics of the Prince she thought dead was not who she thought would be the owner of the object she had been carrying around for years. Looking down at her pale-yellow dress, she thought about the Princess' attempt to make her feel more at home and smiled sadly when her thoughts went back to the young man, who despite being courteous and respectful towards her, did not cross more than a few words with her. The bond they once shared, Megumi noticed it had vanished with everything from his past. His eyes did not look her in the same way, his smile though it was warm and friendly it felt distant. His mind was always elsewhere, his thoughts were always a secret to her. Mamoru became the ghost of Endymion, or maybe Endymion's essence dissolved through the many years Mamoru had to take to be reborn into this era, she thought.

Megumi tried to understand the magic of time. How it worked, how they managed to survive all that tragedy and how the Lunar Queen managed to release that kind of power to give them another life. Sighing, she shook her head; the Princess was also different, since she met her again her hair has been in different styles, she never talked about their many encounters, she never mentioned anything from the time she went to see her Prince. Her eyes widened, it was as if both of them were rejecting the idea of them being them, their past and everything that represented their royal background. But then, as she turned to look at the clothed object she kept hidden behind the pillows in her bed she thought about that moment when the Prince took her with him to the Moon that night. Widening her eyes, she remembered the light that came from him and the portal he opened to cross to a realm she only knew from prayers and stories. Nothing she ever witnessed was reflected in any of the people she has met so far. Not even the girls she remembered as guardians and soldiers, everything was a big cloud, full of denial.

Oblivious to every battle they encountered, to their alter egos and to everything that brought them to be normal again, she frowned with upset. Megumi was oblivious to everything, things were obviously happening and none of them was doing nothing. What kind of alternate universe was this? she asked herself. Why, of all places, of all realities she had to be brought to this one, where the ones she once met as powerful were practically defenseless. She exhaled heavily, lamenting the situation happening around her she began to feel like a burden. With a broken heart she sat on the floor and began thinking of a way to continue on her journey and keep on her search for the guardian she is suppose to find no longer thinking about what would happen to her once her task is fulfilled. "Destiny is parting our paths again my Prince—please forgive me... I cannot stay with you anymore." Megumi closed her eyes and let her tears stream down her face, the thought of leaving was killing her but if this was meant to happen then, all she could do at this point was to being grateful for meeting with the Prince again before disappearing into the universe, once again.

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**Gratias ago tibi in caelum: Thank you to the heavens.